Industry Headhunters Samantha Peace and Helen Kimber Launch Creative Connections

Samantha Peace and Helen Kimber, two of the UK’s most prominent head hunters, are joining forces to launch Creative Connections, a specialist creative talent agency that aims to fix the industry’s broken recruitment model and help agencies access the very best leadership, strategic and innovation talent. 

Unlike traditional recruitment agency models, Creative Connections will work flexibly with their client partners, tailoring products, services, and talent solutions to collaborate with and complement internal talent teams and the needs of each business and process.

Having worked in agencies and talent acquisition for over 25 years, Helen was most recently global chief growth officer at The Talent Business working with leadership talent across all disciplines. She began her career at TBWA, worked at agencies including Rainey Kelly Campbell Roalfe/Y&R, Brothers and Sisters and was a co-founder and managing partner of Hometown London (now Truant). She became managing director of head hunters The Longhouse in September 2016 before joining The Talent Business in November last year. 

Samantha was most recently senior head hunter of The Longhouse, where she spent over a decade helping agencies identify and recruit the industry’s best account management and business development professionals. She first worked with Helen in the new business department of Rainey Kelly Campbell Roalfe/Y&R, where she spent almost four years and led RKCR/Y&R to the top of Campaign’s New Business Rankings.  

At Creative Connections, Helen and Samantha will help provide agencies with game-changing talent, working at all levels from entry to leadership, across client service, strategy, business development, marketing, and innovation disciplines. 

Additionally, as internal talent teams become more and more pivotal within the creative industries, Creative Connections will provide tiered and tailored services to suit every business need. The business will provide end-to-end search, selection and placement, but will also be able to plug into an agency’s existing internal structure, supporting talent teams at key points in the process, at pinch points in staffing up or uncovering bespoke solutions for the most difficult briefs.

Helen says, “The current recruitment business model is broken, yet the instinct for traditional talent firms is to fight against the new ways our partners work, not embrace it.

Twenty six years working as an industry practitioner, internal talent partner and external head hunter have taught me that people and relationships are the key to creative success. Transparent partnerships, collaboration and a more flexible approach always fosters deeper understanding of our client’s needs, both commercially and culturally. So, our goal is to work in partnership with our clients’ internal teams and processes, not compete with them. Trust, advice and support are the key to unlocking successful talent and fulfilling careers. Which is why we hope Creative Connections will be a breath of fresh air to the industry at a time when it needs it most.”

Reflecting the changing needs of Talent in the creative industries, Creative Connections will encourage and support Z-Shaped careers – gaining integrated experience across a range of creative businesses throughout a career – as well as working with each candidate as a long-term career partner, offering advice and support across their career lifecycle. 

As well as providing entry-level support into the industry from more diverse talent pools, Creative Connections will offer skills, development and training advice, supporting moves into adjacent and complimentary businesses, aiming to help future-proof longer-term careers in the creative industries, combating the loss of the brightest talent to tech businesses and platform owners. 

Samantha says, "The creative industry is more diverse than ever, offering talent so many new and different ways to thrive. But it also means agencies can lose talent to a broader set of industries too. Our aim is to optimise the recruitment process to better nurture talent and give them and agencies the very best platforms to succeed. 

A more collaborative, partnership-led approach means we can bring valuable skills and experience without replacing an internal team, freeing up their resources so they can focus on niche roles and broader strategic initiatives. We understand that each business has its own unique strengths, which, when combined, can lead to more efficient recruiting.”